Despite tough end to season, Dinos have hope for future

It's an old adage that can help carry the Carbon High boys soccer team through the offseason after the team missed out on advancing to the 3A state playoffs.

"We were a young team and we played a lot of tough teams this season," said CHS head coach Keith Palmer. "But this team truly played together more than any other team I've coached before."

With only four seniors on the squad, including Dakota Powell, Zach Prettyman, Lane Neese and Lance Riche, Palmer said the Dinos succeeded by banding together as a team while playing through some tough results.

In their season finale on the road against Spanish Fork, Palmer said the Dons scored four of five goals in the first half during a 10 minute span that decided the outcome of the game. Other than that period of time in the game, Palmer said the Dinos did a good job of keeping up with the Region 12 leaders during a 5-0 loss on April 26.

"We played them tough other than that 10 minute span," Palmer explained.

The Dinos, 3-10-1 overall and 2-6-0 in Region 12, will now look towards developing the young talent that comprised much of the squad this season.

The work in the offseason on every facet of the game will be key in preparing for next season, Palmer said.

"Our young players will need to develop more quickly," he said. "They'll need to work on all of the basics and to play as a team."

While the players are expected to work hard during the offseason, Palmer said he still has plenty to work on as a coach.

"I'm still learning as a coach too," he continued "so we'll all be working together."

Palmer credited the team's seniors with knowing the vision that he and the coaching staff have for the program.

"The seniors were all natural leaders during practice and in games," he said. "The younger kids looked up to them."

While the team endured some lopsided losses during the season, Palmer said it can be a slow process in turning around a program and getting things back on the right track.

"We're playing the game the right way and now we've got to work hard and learn to put the mistakes behind us.

"If we do that, then we'll be a much better team sooner, I hope," he said